Dr. Kevin Leman - Education a la Carte: Choosing the Best Schooling Options for Your Child

My grateful thanks to:

• My children in the education field: Holly, Krissy, and son-in-law Dennis.
• The staff of Leman Academy of Excellence.
• My editor and colleague Ramona Cramer Tucker, who shares my passion for excellent education.
• The Revell team.

Selecting the perfect education options to bring out the best in your child.

I ts the first day of school. Ms. Adams, the first-grade teacher, greets one of her new little scholars, Adriana, with a smile. Its so nice to meet you, she says. Your last name is Sutherland, right?

Adriana nods.

Any chance youre related to James? Ms. Adams asks.

Adriana looks down and shuffles her feet. Her red backpack hangs off one shoulder. One of her shoelaces is askew. Yes, she finally says. Hes my brother.

Ms. Adams happily claps her hands. Well then, you and I are going to have a great year!

Last year Ms. Adams had James Sutherland in her class. If there was ever a teachers pet, he was italways first in line to help, a great kid who loved learning, a class leader, clearly liked by everyone, kind to others.

Well, time-out, teacher. You really dont know who you have sitting in aisle 4, seat 3. Her last name is Sutherland and her first name is Adriana, but you might as well call her Attila the Hun, because she is going to rock your world in a way that will shock even a seasoned teacher to the core.

Ms. Adams assumed that just because Adriana is Jamess sister, their experience in school will be the same. No, it wont. In fact, since older brother is so perfect in everyones eyes, little sister will go out of her way to run in the opposite direction.

Besides getting a history lesson about Attila the Hun in twenty-first-century form, that teacher will feel like Custer making a last stand with the new little Sutherland, likely by the end of the first week.

Your Kids Are Created Equal but Not the Same

Parents make the same mistake as Ms. Adams did all the time. They assume that because their kids are all siblings, theyll act the same. However, the firstborn child is the lab rat of the family. Both parents experiment with him, so no wonder he focuses on trying to be perfect all the time. Then comes child number 2, who looks at child number 1. When the benchmark for worth is that perfect firstborn, how can the next child compete? So what does she do? She screams through her behavior, Hello! I am not my brother, Im me. Would someone please take the time to notice Im me? Im a different person.

Parent, do you treat your children differently? Trying to treat them the same is a recipe for disaster. Your children should have different bedtimes and different allowances based on their ages and needs. They should receive birthday gifts suited especially and solely for them. If you gave all three of your kids a skateboard for Christmas, one would be thrilled and head out the door to try it out, another would look at you like youre crazy, and the third might cry. Better gifts might be a season pass to the museum for your history buff and an iTunes gift card for your indie music lover. Your kids are created equal and are all important members of your household, but they are not the same. They clearly dont have the same learning styles or bents.